Cataracts

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If you have advanced lens discoloration, you may not be able to identify different shades of blues and purples. For example, you may be wearing what you believe to be a pair of black socks, only to find out later from friends that you are wearing purple socks.

The term “age-related” is a bit misleading. You don’t have to be a senior citizen to get this type of cataract. In fact, people can have an age-related cataract in their 40s and 50s. But during the middle aged years, most cataracts are small and do not affect vision. It is usually after age 60 that most cataracts begin to grow in size and eventually cause problems with a person’s vision.

The most common symptoms of a cataract are: cloudy or blurry vision, colors seem faded, Glare, headlights or sunlight may appear too bright, a halo may appear around lights, poor night vision, double vision or multiple images in one eye, and frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses. These symptoms also can be a sign of other eye problems. If you have any one or more of these symptoms, you should check with your eye care professional to speak about the risk you have for cataracts.

The symptoms of an early cataract may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses. If these solutions do not help, surgery would be the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. A cataract needs to be removed only when vision loss interferes with your everyday activities. You and your eye care professional can talk about the surgery and make this decision together based on what is best for you. Once you understand the benefits and risks of surgery, you can make an educated decision about whether or not cataract surgery is right for you. In most cases, delaying cataract surgery will not cause long-term damage to your eye or make the surgery more difficult. You do not have to rush into surgery. Sometimes a cataract should be removed even if it does not cause problems with your vision. For example, a cataract should be removed if it prevents examination or treatment of another eye problem, such as age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. If you choose surgery, your eye care professional may refer you to a specialist to remove the cataract. If you have cataracts in both eyes that require surgery, the surgery will be performed on each eye at separate times, usually at least four weeks apart.

Cataract removal is one of the most common operations performed in the United States. It also is one of the safest and most effective types of surgery. In about 90 percent of cases, people who have cataract surgery have better vision afterward.